Putting the Reins on Stress

Oct. 10, 2001 -- Who's not feeling stressed these days? We have faced the worst of tragedies, war, and layoffs. Like many people, you may be waiting for the other shoe to drop. Those comforting but bad habits -- smoking, drinking, overeating -- are pretty tempting in times of high anxiety.

"There's no doubt that people deal with stress in different ways," says Joseph Miller, MD, a preventive cardiologist at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. "People worry, get depressed, have trouble sleeping ... As we know too well, slothful behavior has negative long-term effects on health, leading to high blood pressure and risk of diabetes."

Better to develop better coping skills to get you through rough times., he says. "Everybody needs a mechanism to deal with stress. Some deal with it through religion, some with exercise, some by talking with their spouse or friends, others through formal support groups, some meditate."

"I think some kind of exercise program -- whether it's walking or whatever -- is a fantastic way to deal with stress," Miller tells WebMD. "Exercise helps you sleep, and when you're not fatigued, you deal with stress more effectively."

Analyze your particular response to stress, advises Pauline Rose Clance, PhD, clinical psychologist and a professor of psychology at Georgia State University in Atlanta.

Example: "If you want to sleep all the time, if you're withdrawing, make sure you get up and take a walk, do yoga, call a friend, get yourself to the office -- do something even if you don't feel like it at that moment," she says.

Also, take deep breaths. "When people feel anxious, they unconsciously hold their breath," Clance says. "That's why meditating, walking, and yoga works -- they get people to breathe." If you take a few moments during the day to take a full, slow breath, then let it out slowly, that will help release the irritability or sadness -- whatever feelings that you express in stress.

Also, identify what helps you feel "more centered, grounded in your life," she tells WebMD. "For many people, connecting with friends in more genuine way, talking about what's happening with them, can be very helpful."